She had never gone to the movies with her father.

But last night, 14-year-old student Abigail Low and her father Kelvin, 53, made this a thing of the past.

They were among 100 people who had won the privilege of watching Star Wars: The Last Jedi, ahead of its commercial opening, courtesy of The Straits Times.

"We do hang out together, but never to watch a movie because he is not a movie buff," said Abigail of her father.

While neither of them is a big Star Wars fan, Mr Low, the director of a pharmaceutical company, said they were happy and surprised that they won the tickets in a contest on the SPH Rewards app.

"It's a nice bonding session for us," he said.

The Straits Times had given out 50 pairs of tickets to subscribers in the contest, which attracted 1,700 entries.

At the screening at Plaza Singapura's Golden Village cinema yesterday, there was also a lucky draw in which 20 Star Wars movie premiums were up for grabs, including gym bags, travel bags, watches and posters.

IT specialist Charles Poh, 53, and his daughter Celine, a 22-year-old undergraduate, were another father-daughter pair who were winners. Miss Poh won a watch in the lucky draw.

"We caught all the first seven Star Wars movies, and are very excited to watch this one," she said, adding that she and her father are fans of the sci-fi and thriller movie genres.

The eighth and latest episode in the Star Wars series, starring Mark Hamill, the late Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, follows the galactic heroes on an epic adventure unlocking mysteries of The Force and uncovering shocking revelations of the past.

The movie opens across theatres in Singapore today.